U.S. patent application number 15/983020 was filed with the patent office on 2018-11-29 for parking control apparatus and method.
This patent application is currently assigned to MANDO CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is MANDO CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Young Ju KWON.
Application Number | 20180339701 15/983020 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 64109261 |
Filed Date | 2018-11-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180339701 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KWON; Young Ju |
November 29, 2018 |
PARKING CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for
controlling a parking operation of a vehicle, and more
specifically, to a specific method and apparatus for controlling a
parking operation of a vehicle using a radar sensor and an
ultrasonic sensor of the vehicle to reduce parking time.
Inventors: |
KWON; Young Ju;
(Gyeonggi-do, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MANDO CORPORATION |
Gyeonggi-do |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
MANDO CORPORATION
Gyeonggi-do
KR
|
Family ID: |
64109261 |
Appl. No.: |
15/983020 |
Filed: |
May 17, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60W 30/06 20130101;
B60W 2420/52 20130101; B60W 2710/10 20130101; B62D 15/0285
20130101; B60W 2420/42 20130101; G05D 1/0223 20130101; B60W 10/10
20130101; B60W 10/20 20130101; B60W 40/02 20130101; G05D 1/0257
20130101; G05D 2201/0213 20130101; B60W 2554/00 20200201; B60W
2420/54 20130101; B60W 10/04 20130101; B62D 15/027 20130101; B60W
2400/00 20130101; G05D 1/0246 20130101; B60W 2710/20 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60W 30/06 20060101
B60W030/06; B60W 10/04 20060101 B60W010/04; B60W 10/10 20060101
B60W010/10; B60W 10/20 20060101 B60W010/20; B60W 40/02 20060101
B60W040/02; G05D 1/02 20060101 G05D001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 26, 2017 |
KR |
10-2017-0065455 |
Claims
1. A parking control apparatus comprising: a parking control
initiator which acquires an input signal for parking control and
determines whether to start a parking control operation; a sensor
controller which sets a first sensor mounted in a vehicle to detect
a candidate parking space when the parking control operation is
started; a candidate parking space detector which detects the
candidate parking space using first sensing information acquired
from the first sensor; a parking space determiner which determines
a parking space by computing presence or absence of an obstacle in
the candidate parking space and size information of the candidate
parking space using second sensing information acquired from a
second sensor mounted in the vehicle; and a vehicle control signal
outputer which outputs at least one of a steering control signal, a
speed control signal, and a gear shifting control signal for
parking the vehicle in the parking space.
2. The parking control apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the
parking control operation is started, the sensor controller sets a
detection angle or a detection range of the first sensor to be
adjusted in a direction of the candidate parking space.
3. The parking control apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the input
signal for parking control further includes information about a
search direction in which the vehicle performs a search; the
detection angle or the detection range of the first sensor is
changed according to the search direction; the detection angle is
set to be turned in the search direction by a predetermined angle
with respect to a direction of travel of the vehicle; and the
detection range is changed to be narrower than the detection range
before input of the input signal.
4. The parking control apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the first
sensor includes a long-range detection antenna and a short-range
detection antenna; and the sensor controller controls one of the
long-range detection antenna and the short-range detection antenna
to be changed for detection of the candidate parking space.
5. The parking control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the candidate
parking space detector detects positions of a plurality of objects
by extracting edge information included in the first sensing
information and calculates a spacing distance between the objects
to detect the candidate parking space.
6. The parking control apparatus of claim 5, wherein the candidate
parking space detector groups the extracted pieces of edge
information into one or more edge groups according to a preset
criterion and calculates the spacing distance between the objects
using a spacing distance between the edge groups.
7. The parking control apparatus of claim 5, wherein, when the
spacing distance between the objects is greater than or equal to a
reference distance, the candidate parking space detector detects a
space between the objects as the candidate parking space wherein
the reference distance is determined based on at least one of width
information of the vehicle, passenger information, and mode input
information of a driver.
8. The parking control apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the
vehicle enters within a predetermined distance to the candidate
parking space, the candidate parking space determiner controls the
second sensor, which detects a lateral side of the vehicle, to
start operating.
9. The parking control apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when it is
determined that an object does not exist in the candidate parking
space or a size of the candidate parking space is sufficient to
park the vehicle, the parking space determiner determines the
candidate parking space to be the parking space.
10. The parking control apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when a
driver selection signal for the candidate parking space is input,
the parking space determiner determines a candidate parking space
indicated by the driver selection signal to be the parking
space.
11. The parking control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parking
control signal outputting unit controls a speed of the vehicle to
be set to a first speed when the candidate parking space is
detected, and when the vehicle enters within a predetermined
distance to the candidate parking space, the vehicle control signal
outputer outputs the speed control signal to control the speed of
the vehicle to be set to a second speed wherein the first speed is
set to higher than the second speed.
12. The parking control apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the
parking space is determined, the vehicle control signal outputer
generates a parking path along which the vehicle is parkable in the
parking space at a point in time when the parking space is
determined and the parking path is set such that a driving angle of
the vehicle is changed at the point in time when the parking space
is determined.
13. A parking control method comprising: a parking control
operation of acquiring an input signal for parking control and
determining whether to start a parking control operation; a sensor
control operation of setting a first sensor mounted in a vehicle
for detecting a candidate parking space when the parking control
operation is started; a parking space determination operation of
determining a parking space by computing at least one of presence
or absence of an obstacle in the candidate parking space and size
information of the candidate parking space using second sensing
information acquired from a second sensor mounted in the vehicle;
and a parking control signal output operation of outputting at
least one of a steering control signal, a speed control signal, and
a gear shifting control signal.
14. The parking control method of claim 13, wherein the sensor
control operation includes setting a detection angle or a detection
range of the first sensor to be adjusted in a direction of the
candidate parking space when the parking control operation is
started.
15. The parking control method of claim 13, wherein the candidate
parking space detection operation includes detecting positions of a
plurality of objects by extracting edge information included in the
first sensing information, calculating a spacing distance between
the objects, and, when the spacing distance between the objects is
greater than or equal to a reference distance determined based on
at least one of width information of the vehicle, passenger
information, and mode input information of a driver, detecting a
space between the objects to be the candidate parking space.
16. The parking control method of claim 13, wherein the parking
space determination operation includes controlling the second
sensor, which detects a lateral side of the vehicle, to start
operating when the vehicle enters within a predetermined distance
to the candidate parking space.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2017-0065455, filed on May 26, 2017, which is
hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set
forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method
for controlling a parking operation of a vehicle. More
specifically, the present disclosure relates to a specific method
and apparatus for controlling a parking operation of a vehicle
using a radar sensor and an ultrasonic sensor of the vehicle so as
to reduce parking time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
[0003] Recently, parking of vehicles has been a serious issue. As
the number of vehicles is increased, parking spaces are inevitably
reduced due to limited areas, cities, and countries. In order to
resolve the shortage of parking spaces, the size of a parking space
allowing a single vehicle to be parked has been gradually
decreased.
[0004] Also, if several vehicles are parked together in a parking
space in which no parkingline exists, spaces between vehicles are
narrow, and in this case, a driver should visually check around an
obstacle and directly drive a vehicle to be parked in a narrow
parking space or may have difficulty in backing the vehicle out of
the narrow parking space.
[0005] Accordingly, parking control systems have recently been
installed in vehicles in order to automatically park the vehicle or
to assist in parking.
[0006] However, since various systems for controlling a parking
operation of a vehicle control parking of vehicles for stable
parking, a prolonged period of time is needed to park the vehicles
in a parking space. In addition, the parking control systems
generate an optimal parking path for the vehicle which involves
multiple gear shifting processes, thereby failing to provide a high
ability to rely on parking to the driver.
[0007] Therefore, there is a need to develop a parking control
operation requiring a minimum gear shifting process and a shorter
period of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In this background, the present disclosure is directed to a
specific method and apparatus for drastically reducing the time for
a parking space search in the process of parking control of a
vehicle.
[0009] In addition, the present disclosure is directed to an
apparatus and method which reduces the time for setting a path for
parking control to reduce gear shifting process of a vehicle to the
minimum, thereby saving the time required for parking control and
improving ability to rely on parking control.
[0010] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is
provided a parking control apparatus including a parking control
initiator which acquires an input signal for parking control and
determines whether to start a parking control operation, a sensor
controller which sets a first sensor mounted in a vehicle to detect
a candidate parking space when the parking control operation is
started, a candidate parking space detector which detects the
candidate parking space using first sensing information acquired
from the first sensor, a parking space determiner which determines
a parking space by computing presence or absence of an obstacle in
the candidate parking space and size information of the candidate
parking space using second sensing information acquired from a
second sensor mounted in the vehicle, and a vehicle control signal
outputer which outputs at least one of a steering control signal, a
speed control signal, and a gear shifting control signal for
parking the vehicle in the parking space.
[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a parking control method including: an parking control
operation of acquiring an input signal for parking control and
determining whether to start a parking control operation, a sensor
control operation of setting a first sensor mounted in a vehicle
for detecting a candidate parking space when the parking control
operation is started, a parking space determination operation of
determining a parking space by computing at least one of presence
or absence of an obstacle in the candidate parking space and size
information of the candidate parking space using second sensing
information acquired from a second sensor mounted in the vehicle,
and a parking control signal output operation of outputting at
least one of a steering control signal, a speed control signal, and
a gear shifting control signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the
present disclosure will be more apparent from the following
detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing an operation of a vehicle
according to a conventional parking space search;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing a gear shifting process
of a vehicle with conventional parking control;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a configuration of a
parking control apparatus according to one embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing an operation of
controlling a radar sensor according to one embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing an operation of detecting
a candidate parking space according to one embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a diagram for describing an operation of
determining a parking space according to one embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing an operation of
controlling a speed of a vehicle in the parking control process
according to one embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a gear shifting process
in the parking control operation according to one embodiment;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing operations of a parking
control method according to one embodiment; and
[0022] FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing an operation of a
parking control method, including vehicle speed control, according
to one embodiment in detail.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0023] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method
for controlling parking of a vehicle.
[0024] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will
be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
illustrative drawings. Terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b),
and the like may be used herein when describing components of the
present disclosure. The terms are merely used to distinguish one
component from other components, and the property, order, sequence
and the like of the corresponding component are not limited by the
corresponding terms. In the case that a certain structural element
is described as being "is connected to," "is coupled to," or "is in
contact with" another structural element, it should be interpreted
that another structural element may "be connected to," "be coupled
to," or "be in contact with" the structural elements as well as
that the certain structural element is directly connected to or is
in direct contact with another structural element.
[0025] In the present specification, a parking control apparatus
refers to a control unit that controls a parking assistance
function for assisting in parking of a vehicle. For example, the
parking control apparatus may refer to a main control unit (MCU) or
a central processing unit (CPU), or may refer to some functions of
an MCU or a CPU. The parking assistance function controlled by the
parking control apparatus refers to a parking assist system (PAS)
or a smart parking assist system (SPAS), and includes at least one
of parking space detection, determination of possibility of
parking, and a steering control and a vehicle speed control for
driving the vehicle into a parking space. In addition, an input
signal for determining whether to start a parking control operation
may refer to information generated by various sensors, such as an
ultrasonic sensor, a steering angle sensor, a camera sensor, and
the like, installed inside/outside of the vehicle and may refer to
a signal generated in response to a user's operation of a button or
a touch pad for instructing the start of a parking control
operation. Alternatively, the input signal may include information
received from a navigation system, a V2X communication device
inside the vehicle, or an external device of the vehicle, such as a
global positioning system (GPS) module. That is, the input signal
may be construed to include both the information generated
autonomously by the vehicle and the information generated and
transmitted from the outside of the vehicle.
[0026] In addition, in the present specification, a first sensor
may refer to a sensor mounted in the vehicle to sense obstacles in
front of the vehicle or at lateral sides in front of the vehicle
and may be, for example, a radar sensor, a Lidar sensor, a camera
sensor, or the like. In addition, a second sensor may refer to a
sensor mounted in the vehicle to sense lateral sides of the vehicle
and may be, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor,
or the like.
[0027] Hereinafter, for the sake of ease of description and
understanding the first sensor will be illustratively described as
a radar sensor, but may be applied as any sensor capable of sensing
obstacles in front of the vehicle or at lateral sides in front of
the vehicle, such as the above-described Lidar sensor and camera
sensor. The second sensor will also be illustratively described as
an ultrasonic sensor, but may be applied as various sensors capable
of sensing the side of the vehicle and detecting a distance and an
obstacle, such as the above-described infrared sensor and radar
sensor.
[0028] A conventional parking assist system for automatic parking
of a vehicle or assisting a driver for parking of a vehicle detects
a parking space using an ultrasonic sensor configured on a side of
the vehicle, sets a parking path, and controls an operation of the
vehicle.
[0029] FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing an operation of a vehicle
according to a conventional parking space search.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 receives an input signal
for controlling parking and initiates a parking control operation.
In this case, a lateral side ultrasonic sensor mounted in the
vehicle 100 performs scanning in a traveling direction of the
vehicle to determine whether a parking space 120 exists in a
direction in which the vehicle 100 is to be parked. However, in
order to search for the parking space 120, the vehicle 100 has to
travel at a low speed enough for the ultrasonic sensor to acquire
information. That is, the vehicle 100 detects other vehicles 110
and 115 through the ultrasonic sensor while traveling in the
traveling direction at the low speed and, when an empty area
exists, determines the empty area as the parking space 120.
[0031] Therefore, according to the conventional parking control
method, in order to detect a parking space 120 at an unknown
location, the vehicle 100 needs to continuously search for the
parking space 120 at the low speed that is suitable for accurate
sensing of the ultrasonic sensor when the parking control is
started. In addition, in order to search for the parking space 120,
the vehicle 100 needs to detect other vehicles 110 and 115
positioned on the left and the right of the parking space 120, and
to this end, a completion time of the parking space search is set
to a point in time when detection of a vehicle 115 parked beside
the parking space 120 is completed.
[0032] When the detection of the parking space 120 is completed,
the vehicle 100 starts a parking operation according to a parking
path at a parking operation start point when the vehicle 100
advancing to a certain point stops.
[0033] As described above, according to the conventional parking
control method, the vehicle 100 which has entered a parking lot
needs to travel at the low speed for a prolonged period of time in
order to search for the parking space 120, and the detection time
for the parking space 120 is also delayed to the point in time when
the detection of the vehicle 115 parked beside the parking space
120 is completed. Consequently, a position at which the vehicle 100
stops and initiates the parking operation is significantly far from
the parking space 120. In addition, as the time point of starting
the parking operation is delayed, there is also a problem in that a
gear shifting process for parking the vehicle 100 in the parking
space 120 becomes complicated, as shown in FIG. 2.
[0034] FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing a gear shifting process
of a vehicle for conventional parking control.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 2, as shown in a first step, when the
vehicle 100 stops at the position of starting the parking
operation, the vehicle 100 is moved backward in a direction of the
parking space 120 by shifting a gear to a reverse gear. However,
since a parking operation starting point at which the vehicle 100
stops is far apart from the parking space 120, the vehicle 100
cannot enter the parking space 120 at once. Thus, as shown in a
second step, the vehicle 100 may move forward by a certain distance
in a direction away from the parking space 120 by shifting the gear
from the reverse gear to a drive gear. Then, as shown in a third
step, the vehicle 100 may stop after moving forward by the certain
distance and then enter the parking space 120 by re-shifting the
gear from the drive gear to the reverse gear. This is because of
other vehicles 110 and 115 located on the left and right of the
parking space 120 and the position of the vehicle 100 at the time
of starting the parking operation. The frequent shifting the gear
of the vehicle 100 may lower the ability to rely on parking and
inconvenience the driver.
[0036] As described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the
conventional parking control apparatus has a problem in that the
ability to rely on for the user is lowered due to the low speed
traveling for detecting a parking space and the frequent gear
shifting process in the parking path, thereby decreasing
usability.
[0037] The present disclosure devised to solve the problem reduces
the time for detecting a parking space and prevents the frequent
shifting of a gear in the parking path, thereby greatly improving
the use of parking control function by a driver.
[0038] Hereinafter, an obstacle located around a parking space is
illustratively described as another vehicle, but may be a variety
of objects, such as an obstruction or a wall.
[0039] FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a configuration of a
parking control apparatus according to one embodiment.
[0040] Referring to FIG. 3, the parking control apparatus 300
according to one embodiment may include a parking control initiator
310 which acquires an input signal for parking control and
determines whether to start a parking control operation, a sensor
controller 320 which sets a first sensor mounted in the vehicle in
order to detect a candidate parking space when the parking control
operation is started, a candidate parking space detector 330 which
detects the candidate parking space using first sensing information
acquired from the first sensor, a parking space determiner 340
which determines a parking space by computing at least one of the
presence or absence of an obstacle in the candidate parking space
and size information of the candidate parking space using second
sensing information acquired from a second sensor, and a vehicle
control signal outputer 350 which outputs at least one of a
steering control signal, a vehicle speed control signal, and a gear
shifting control signal for parking the vehicle in the parking
space.
[0041] For example, when the parking control initiator 310 receives
an input signal for parking control, the parking control initiator
310 may determine whether to start a parking control operation on
the basis of the input signal. The input signal may be a variety of
signals to initiate the parking control operation. In one example,
the input signal may be a signal generated in response to a button
input or a touch pad input of a driver in order to switch a parking
control function to an ON state. In another example, the input
signal may be a received signal generated inside or outside of the
vehicle when the vehicle enters a specific position. That is, when
the vehicle enters a parking lot, the input signal may be generated
through position information of the vehicle or may be a received
signal generated by an input signal generator installed in the
parking lot. In addition, the input signal may be generated in
various ways according to a motion of the driver or the position
and state of the vehicle, but there is no limitation on the input
signal in the present disclosure.
[0042] Moreover, the input signal for parking control may further
include information about a direction in which the vehicle performs
a search to park the vehicle. For example, in a case where parking
bays are on the left and the right of the vehicle, which has
entered the parking lot, the input signal may include information
instructing a parking bay to be searched to determine a parking
space. The information about the direction in which the vehicle
performs the search to park the vehicle may be determined by a
signal input by a driver.
[0043] Meanwhile, when the parking control operation is started,
the sensor controller 320 may set the first sensor mounted in the
vehicle for detecting a candidate parking space. For example, when
the parking control operation is started, the sensor controller 320
may electronically or mechanically control the first sensor to
change at least one of a detection angle or a detection range of
the first sensor. An operation of the sensor controller 320 will be
described in detail with reference to FIG. 4. As described above,
the first sensor may be any sensor mounted in the vehicle, such as
a radar sensor, a Lidar sensor, a camera sensor, an infrared
sensor, or the like. Although FIG. 4 shows an example of a radar
sensor, but the present embodiment may be applied with any sensor
among the above-described various sensors.
[0044] FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing an operation of
controlling a radar sensor according to one embodiment.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 4, a radar sensor may be mounted in the
vehicle 100. The radar sensor may be mounted in the vehicle 100 so
as to be utilized in various functions, such as a forward vehicle
following function, a blind-spot detection function, an emergency
crash-prevention function, and the like. In addition, the radar
sensor may be variously mounted in the front, rear, and sides of
the vehicle 100 to perform the above-described functions. FIG. 4 is
a view based on a radar sensor mounted in the front of the vehicle
100, but the present embodiments may also be applied with a radar
sensor configured on the lateral side of the vehicle.
[0046] When the parking control operation is started and the sensor
controller 320 receives information about a search direction in
which the vehicle 100 is to search, the sensor controller 320 may
change the detection angle or a detection range of the radar sensor
according to the search direction. For example, when a right-side
direction of the vehicle 100 is set as a search direction, the
sensor controller 320 may control the detection angle of the radar
sensor to be turned in the search direction by a predetermined
angle 400 with respect to a traveling direction. For example, in a
case where the radar sensor mounted in the vehicle 100 is set to
have a detection range and a detection angle shown in a shape 420,
when the parking control operation is started, the detection angle
may be set to be turned by a predetermined angle 400 shown in a
shape 410 and the detection range may be changed to be narrower
than the detection range before the start of the parking control
operation. Thus, the vehicle 100 may sense other vehicles 110 and
115 located in front of the vehicle in advance through the radar
sensor. In addition, the sensor controller 320 may maintain a long
detection distance and minimize detection of unnecessary targets by
narrowing the detection range.
[0047] In the present embodiments, the detection angle of the radar
sensor may be mechanically changed or may be changed by a signal
processing technology such as digital beamforming. In addition, the
detection range may be variably set by changing the number of
channels included in the radar sensor through a signal processing
method.
[0048] Alternatively, since the radar sensor mounted in the vehicle
100 performs not only a function for parking control but also the
above-described various functions, the sensor controller 320 may
change a detection angle and a detection range for only some
antennas of the radar sensor so as to retain part of the existing
functions of the radar sensor. For example, the radar sensor may
include a long-range detection antenna and a short-range detection
antenna and may control only one of the long-range and short-range
detection antennas to be changed in order to detect a candidate
parking space when the parking control operation is started. That
is, when the detection range of the short-range detection antenna
is the shape 420 in FIG. 4, previous settings for the detection
angle and the detection range shown in the shape 420 may be
maintained intact so that a risk of sudden collision in front of
the vehicle may be detected and the sensor controller 320 may
control to form the detecting angle and the detection range shown
in the shape 410 only using the long-range detection antenna. When
the detection range shown in the shape 410 is set to be the same as
the detection range for parking control, the sensor controller 320
may change the detection angle by a predetermined angle 400.
[0049] Accordingly, it may be possible to utilize the radar sensor
for parking control while maintaining the existing risk detection
function through the radar sensor. In addition, the radar sensor is
capable of detecting a target even at a high speed, as compared to
an ultrasonic sensor, and hence reduction of a vehicle speed in an
operation for detecting a candidate parking space can be
avoided.
[0050] FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing an operation of detecting
a candidate parking space according to one embodiment.
[0051] When the detection angle or the detection range of the first
sensor is changed, the candidate parking space detector 330 may
detect a candidate parking space using first sensing information
obtained from the first sensor.
[0052] Referring to FIG. 5, the first sensing information may
include edge information extracted from target information obtained
from the first sensor. For example, the candidate parking space
detector 330 may extract edge information of other vehicles 110 and
115 located in front of the vehicle 100. The edge information may
be extracted from bumpers of the parked vehicles 110 and 115 and be
extracted in the form of a point or a line.
[0053] Specifically, the candidate parking space detector 330 may
extract pieces of edge information 500, 501 and 502 in the form of
a point from the vehicle 110 on the left side of the parking space
120 and extract pieces of edge information 510, 511, and 512 in the
form of a point from the vehicle 115 on the right side. In the case
where the edge information in the form of a line is extracted, a
shape of a bumper of each of the other vehicles 110 and 115 may be
extracted in the form of a line. Hereinafter, the following
description will be based on edge information in the form of a
point, but the present embodiments may be applied with edge
information in the form of a line.
[0054] The candidate parking space detector 330 may extract edge
information included in the first sensing information to calculate
a spacing distance between the plurality of objects 110 and 115 and
detect the candidate parking space 120.
[0055] In one example, the candidate parking space detector 330 may
calculate a spacing distance between the plurality of objects 110
and 115 using a spacing distance between the pieces of extracted
edge information. For example, the candidate parking space detector
330 may calculate a spacing distance between pieces of edge
information 501 and 502 and a spacing distance between pieces of
edge information 502 and 500. In the same manner, the candidate
parking space detector 330 may calculate a spacing distance between
pieces of edge information 500 and 510, a spacing distance between
pieces of edge information 510 and 511, and a spacing distance
between pieces of edge information 511 and 512. When the spacing
distance between the pieces of edge information 500 and 510 among
the calculated distances is greater than or equal to a preset
reference distance, the candidate parking space detector 330 may
detect a space corresponding to the width of a candidate parking
space 120. That is, when the spacing distance between the pieces of
edge information 500 and 510 is greater than or equal to the
reference distance, the candidate parking space detector 330 may
detect the space corresponding to the distance of the candidate
parking space 120.
[0056] In another example, the candidate parking space detector 330
may group the pieces of edge information on the basis of preset
criterion. For example, the candidate parking space detector 330
may group pieces of edge information 500, 501, and 502 extracted
from the vehicle 110 into one group, group pieces of edge
information 510, 511, and 512 extracted from the vehicle 150 into
another group, and calculate a spacing distance between the objects
using a spacing distance between the edge groups. In still another
example, when the edge information is extracted in the form of a
line, the candidate parking space detector 330 may calculate a
spacing distance between an end portion of one piece of edge
information and a start portion of another piece of edge
information as a spacing distance between the objects and thus
detect the candidate parking space 120.
[0057] In addition, the reference distance for detecting the
candidate parking space may be determined based on at least one of
width information of the vehicle and mode input information from
the driver.
[0058] In one example, the reference distance may be variably set
in association with the width of the vehicle. Specifically, when
the vehicle is wide in width, the reference distance is set to be
wide and when the vehicle is narrow, the reference distance is set
to be narrow. Alternatively, a certain width range is mapped to one
reference distance, and the reference distance may be determined
using such a mapping table.
[0059] In another example, the reference distance may be variably
set by mode input information from the driver. That is, when the
driver generates input information for selecting a first mode, a
first reference distance predetermined in accordance with the first
mode may be determined as the reference distance and be compared to
the spacing distance between the objects. A predetermined number of
modes may be set for each reference distance. Therefore, the driver
may set a preferred area of a parking space in advance through the
mode selection, so that the parking space may be determined
according to the preference of each driver.
[0060] In still another example, the reference distance may be
determined using both the width of the vehicle and the mode input
information from the driver.
[0061] In yet another example, the reference distance may be
dynamically set according to the number of passengers in the
vehicle, a boarding direction of a passenger (whether the
passengers have boarded the vehicle only in one direction, whether
passengers are anticipated to get off in both directions, etc.).
That is, the reference distance may be set differently between a
case where only the driver is in the vehicle and a case where the
driver and the passenger in a passenger seat are both present in
the vehicle. For example, the reference distance when both the
driver and the passenger are present in the vehicle may be set to
be wider when compared to a case where only the driver is present.
Detection of the number of passengers or the boarding direction may
be performed by detection sensors on vehicle seats or a camera or
the like for sensing the interior of the vehicle.
[0062] In yet another example, the reference distance may be
differently set according to the presence or absence of a child in
the vehicle. That is, the reference distance for a case where a
child is present in the vehicle may be set to be wider in
comparison with a case where a child is not present in the vehicle.
The presence or absence of a child may be determined by a selection
signal input from the driver or a sensor capable of monitoring the
interior of the vehicle.
[0063] Through the above operations, the candidate parking space
detector 330 detects the candidate parking space 120 through the
first sensor in advance before the vehicle 100 approaches the
candidate parking space 120 and provides the candidate parking
space so as to enable quick performance of a parking control
operation. That is, the candidate parking space detector 330
completes the detection of the candidate parking space before the
vehicle 100 approaches the candidate parking space 120 so that the
parking operation may be performed without reducing the speed of
the vehicle.
[0064] Meanwhile, the parking control apparatus 300 may perform an
operation for ultimately determining whether the candidate parking
space is an available parking space for the vehicle, which will be
described in detail with reference to FIG. 6.
[0065] FIG. 6 is a diagram for describing an operation of
determining a parking space according to one embodiment.
[0066] Referring to FIG. 6, when the candidate parking space 102 is
detected, the parking space determiner 340 may determine a parking
space by computing at least one of the presence or absence of an
obstacle in the candidate parking space and size information of the
candidate parking space using second sensing information acquired
from the second sensor. To this end, the parking space determiner
340 may control the second sensor (e.g., an ultrasonic sensor) to
sense a lateral side of the vehicle to initiate an operation when
the vehicle 100 approaches within a predetermined distance to the
candidate parking space 120. The second sensor is configured on the
lateral side of the vehicle 100 and has a detection range 600 set
to detect a distance between the lateral side of the vehicle and an
object.
[0067] Therefore, at a position where the candidate parking space
120 is detected, the parking space determiner 340 may control the
second sensor to be operated to prevent an operation of determining
the parking space until the vehicle 100 approaches within a
predetermined distance to the candidate parking space 120, acquire
the second sensing information through the second sensor when the
vehicle 100 approaches within the predetermined distance, and
determine the candidate parking space 120 to be the final parking
space using the second sensing information.
[0068] In one example, the parking space determiner 340 may use the
second sensing information to determine whether an obstacle that
has not been detected by the first sensor exists in the candidate
parking space 120. Since the first sensor detects a target at a
long distance, a detection blind spot may be generated by another
vehicle 110. Therefore, when an obstacle of a predetermined size
exists in the candidate parking space 120, the obstacle may not be
detected by the first sensor. In this case, the parking space
determiner 340 may determine whether an obstacle that has not been
detected by a radar sensor exists in the candidate parking space
120 by using the second sensing information acquired by the second
sensor. When the obstacle exists, the parking space determiner 340
may initialize the corresponding candidate parking space 120 and
perform an operation for re-detecting a candidate parking space
120. On the other hand, when the obstacle does not exist, the
parking space determiner 340 may determine the corresponding
candidate parking space 120 to be a parking space.
[0069] In another example, the parking space determiner 340 may
precisely measure a size of the candidate parking space 120 using
the second sensing information. Since the second sensor, such as an
ultrasonic sensor, may precisely measure a distance in a short
distance, the parking space determiner 340 may calculate depth
information, area information, and the like of the candidate
parking space 120 using the second sensing information. Thus, the
parking space determiner 340 may determine whether the size of the
candidate parking space 120 is sufficient to park the vehicle and,
when it is determined that the size is sufficient to park the
vehicle, determine the corresponding candidate parking space 120 to
be a parking space. When it is determined that the size of the
candidate parking space 120 is not sufficient to park the vehicle,
the parking space determiner 340 may initialize the corresponding
candidate parking space 120 and re-perform an operation for
detecting a candidate parking space 120.
[0070] In still another example, the parking space determiner 340
may determine the presence or absence of an obstacle and measure
the size of the candidate parking space using the second sensing
information, as described above, and ultimately determine whether
the candidate parking space 120 is suitable as a parking space
using the obtained determination and measurement results.
[0071] In yet another example, when the parking space determiner
340 receives an input selection signal from the driver for the
candidate parking space, the parking space determiner 340 may
determine the candidate parking space indicated by the selection
signal to be the parking space. For example, a plurality of
candidate parking spaces may be separately displayed through a
display inside the vehicle. In this case, the driver may select a
particular candidate parking space. The selection signal may be
variously input through a touch input on the display or an input
through a button in the vehicle and is not particularly limited.
When the driver selects a particular candidate parking space, the
selected candidate parking space may be determined as the parking
space. In this case, the vehicle may set a parking path on the
basis of the corresponding candidate parking space and initiate the
parking operation.
[0072] As described above, the parking space determiner 340 may
determine the parking space before the vehicle 100 passes through
the candidate parking space 120 according to the detection range
600 of the ultrasonic sensor. For example, when whether an obstacle
exists in the candidate parking space 120 is determined, since a
spacing distance between other vehicles 110 and 115 is already
known through the first sensing information of the first sensor,
evaluation of the candidate parking space 120 may be completed
before another vehicle 115 is detected by the second sensor.
[0073] Accordingly, it is possible to determine the parking space
earlier than the conventional parking control system described with
reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The earlier the parking space is
determined, the shorter the time for parking control is, and a gear
shifting process is significantly reduced according to the change
of a parking path, which will be described below. Hereinafter,
additional operations according to the above-described operation,
such as a method of searching for a parking space by changing a
speed of a vehicle, and a method of reducing a gear shifting
process by setting a parking path, will be described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
[0074] FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing an operation of
controlling a speed of a vehicle in the parking control process
according to one embodiment.
[0075] Referring to FIG. 7, when the candidate parking space
detector 330 detects the candidate parking space 120, the vehicle
control signal outputer 350 may control the speed of the vehicle
100 to be set as a first speed. Then, when the vehicle 100
approaches within a predetermined distance to the candidate parking
space 120 at the first speed and reaches a point where the sensing
using the second sensor starts, the vehicle control signal outputer
350 may control the speed of the vehicle 100 to be set as a second
speed. In this case, the first speed may be set higher than the
second speed. That is, the first speed may be set to be faster than
the second speed. The vehicle 100 may be moved at the second speed
until a parking space is determined.
[0076] For example, when the candidate parking space 120 is
detected through the first sensor, the parking control apparatus
300 may move quickly to a point for sensing the candidate parking
space 120 through the second sensor. However, since the vehicle 100
may need to additionally sense the candidate parking space as the
vehicle 100 moves, the first speed may be limited to a maximum
speed at which the first sensing information may be obtained
through the first sensor. Accordingly, after the candidate parking
space is determined, unnecessary low-speed travel of the vehicle is
prevented until the second sensor is operated, thereby reducing the
time required for the parking control operation. That is, this is a
characteristic differentiated from the low-speed travel for sensing
during the entire parking operation time of the conventional
parking control system using only the second sensor, and thanks to
this characteristic, it is possible to greatly reduce the time
required for parking control operation.
[0077] In addition, in the case where the parking space is
determined in response to the driver's selection signal, even when
a candidate parking space exists in the path to the parking space,
sensing of the candidate parking space using the second sensor may
not be performed. That is, the vehicle may travel at the first
speed to the determined parking space.
[0078] Alternatively, the sensing of the corresponding candidate
parking space using the second sensor may be performed. This is
because, since a selection signal from the driver may be generated
before the information of the second sensor is utilized, an
obstacle may exist in the selected parking space. That is, when it
is finally determined that the parking space selected by the driver
is not available for parking after sensing the candidate parking
space is performed through the second sensor, a selection signal
may be re-received by re-providing the driver with a candidate
parking space in which parking is possible.
[0079] In addition, the first speed and the second speed may be
preset or may be tuned by the driver. However, as described above,
the first speed may be limited to the maximum speed at which the
operation of the second sensor is possible, and the second speed
may also be limited to the maximum speed at which the operation of
the second sensor is possible. In addition, it is preferable that
the first speed is set to be faster than the second speed.
[0080] When the parking control apparatus 300 determines the
parking space through the above-described operations, it is
required to set a parking path and control vehicle behavior to park
the vehicle in the parking space.
[0081] FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a gear shifting process
in the parking control operation according to one embodiment.
[0082] Referring to FIG. 8, the vehicle control signal outputer 350
may output at least one of a steering control signal, a vehicle
speed control signal, and a gear shifting control signal for
parking the vehicle 100 in the parking space 120. For example, when
the parking space 120 is determined, the vehicle control signal
outputer 350 may generate a parking path so that the vehicle 100
may be parked in the parking space 120 at the time of determining
the parking space. In this case, the parking path may be set such
that a travel angle of the vehicle 100 is changed at the time of
determining the parking space 120.
[0083] As described above, the parking control apparatus 300 may
determine the parking space 120 using the information acquired from
the first sensor and the second sensor, and the point in time when
the parking space 120 is determined may be one of a point in time
when another vehicle 115 starts to be detected by the second
sensor, a point in time when the determination of whether an
obstacle exists in a candidate parking space is completed, and a
point in time when the comparison between the size of the candidate
parking space and a size available for parking is completed.
Therefore, it is possible to complete the determination of the
parking space 120 much earlier than the conventional parking space
search which is described with reference to FIG. 1. That is, as
shown in a first step, before the vehicle 100 moves away from the
parking space 120, the determination of the parking space 120 may
be completed. In this case, the vehicle control signal outputer 350
may set the parking path using the position of the vehicle at the
time of determining the parking space, the location of the parking
space 120, the positions of other vehicles 110 and 115, and the
like.
[0084] In addition, the vehicle control signal outputer 350 sets
the parking path before moving away from the parking space 120 so
that the parking path which minimizes the gear shifting process of
the vehicle 100 may be set. For example, the vehicle control signal
outputer 350 may set the parking path such the travel angle of the
vehicle 100 is changed and the vehicle 100 moves forward at the
time of determining the parking space. That is, as shown in a
second step, the vehicle 100 may move forward by a predetermined
distance after the time point of determination of the parking
space, wherein the travel angle of the vehicle 100 may be moved
away from the parking space 120. Thereafter, shifting a gear to a
reverse gear may be performed after the vehicle 100 stops.
[0085] Then, as shown in a third step, the vehicle control signal
outputer 350 may control the vehicle 100 to move backward in a
direction of the parking space 120 after stopping.
[0086] When the parking operation according to the parking path of
FIG. 8 is compared to the parking operation according to the
conventional parking path of FIG. 2, as the parking space
determination time becomes earlier than the conventional parking
operation, two instances of shifting the gear from forward to
reverse in FIG. 2 is reduced to one instance and shifting the gear
from reverse to forward is not required, so that the time required
for parking is greatly reduced according to the present embodiment.
That is, in comparison with FIG. 2, the present embodiment may omit
the first step shown in FIG. 2.
[0087] As described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, the present
embodiments additionally utilize the first sensor information in
the parking control operation for the vehicle, thereby reducing
unnecessary time and improving the driver's ability to relay on the
parking control system.
[0088] Hereinafter, a parking control method capable of performing
the above-described operations will be described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
[0089] FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing operations of a parking
control method according to one embodiment.
[0090] Referring to FIG. 9, the parking control method may include
a parking control starting operation of obtaining an input signal
for parking control and determining whether to start a parking
control operation (S900). In the parking control starting
operation, an input signal generated inside or outside of a vehicle
and whether to start the parking control operation is determined.
The input signal may include information indicating a search
direction, and, when the input signal includes the information
indicating the search direction, the start of the parking control
operation may be controlled in consideration of the search
direction.
[0091] In addition, when the parking control operation is started,
the parking control method may include a sensor control operation
of setting a first sensor mounted in the vehicle for detecting a
candidate parking space (S902). In the sensor control operation,
when the parking control operation is started, a detection angle or
a detection range of the first sensor may be changed in
consideration of the search direction. In addition, in the sensor
control operation, the detection angle and the detection range may
be changed for only one of antennas included in the first sensor in
consideration of existing functions of the first sensor. The
detection angle may be changed to be turned in the search direction
by a predetermined angle and the detection range may be changed to
narrow a radar beam for precise detection in a long range.
[0092] In addition, the parking control method may include a
candidate parking space detection operation of detecting a
candidate parking space using first sensing information acquired
from the first sensor (S904). In the candidate parking space
detection operation, edge information of an object may be extracted
from the first sensing information received from the first sensor
having a changed detection angle or detection range and a spacing
distance between the objects may be calculated using the extracted
edge information. In the candidate parking space detection
operation, when the spacing distance between the objects is greater
than or equal to a preset reference distance, the corresponding
candidate space may be detected as the candidate parking space. For
example, in the candidate parking space detection operation, the
edge information in the form of a point or in the form of a line
may be extracted and the candidate parking space may be detected
using a spacing distance between the pieces of edge information. A
plurality of pieces of edge information may be grouped into edge
groups as needed and the candidate parking space may be detected
using a spacing distance between the edge groups. In addition, the
reference distance may be variably set according to various
methods.
[0093] Moreover, the parking control method may include a parking
space determination operation of determining a parking space by
computing at least one of the presence or absence of an obstacle in
the candidate parking space and size information of the candidate
parking space using second sensing information acquired from a
second sensor (S906). In the parking space determination operation,
when the candidate parking space is detected, the operation of the
second sensor may be controlled and the candidate parking space may
be determined as the parking space using the second sensing
information acquired from the second sensor. For example, when the
vehicle approaches the candidate parking space at a predetermined
distance, the second sensor may be controlled to start operating
and the parking space may be determined by checking whether an
obstacle exists in the candidate parking space or whether the size
of the candidate parking space is sufficient to park the vehicle
through the second sensor.
[0094] The parking control method may include a parking control
signal output operation of outputting at least one of a steering
control signal, a speed control signal, and a gear shifting control
signal (S908). In the vehicle control signal output operation, when
the candidate parking space is detected, the speed of the vehicle
is set to a first speed until the second sensor of the vehicle
starts operating, and once the second sensor operates, the speed of
the vehicle may be set to a second speed. In this case, the first
speed may be set to be higher than the second speed. Thus, it is
possible to prevent unnecessary low-speed travel of the vehicle. In
addition, in the vehicle control signal output operation, when the
parking space is determined, a parking path is set and a control
signal for speed, steering, or gear shifting may be output to
enable the vehicle to move along the parking path. In this case,
the determination of the parking space is completed before the
vehicle moves away from the parking space and once the parking
space is determined, the vehicle may be controlled to move forward
by changing the travel angle of the vehicle in a direction in which
the vehicle moves away from the parking space. Then, the vehicle
may be parked in the parking space through one-time
reverse-movement control.
[0095] Each of the operations according to the present embodiments
is described in brief. Hereinafter, a whole operation flow in
consideration of a change of a vehicle speed and a case where a
candidate parking space is not determined as a parking space will
be briefly described.
[0096] FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing an operation of a
parking control method, including vehicle speed control, according
to one embodiment in detail.
[0097] Referring to FIG. 10, in the parking control method, an
input signal including a search direction is received and a
detection angle or a detection range of a first sensor may be
changed according to the search direction (S1000). Then, an object
existing in the search direction is searched through the changed
first sensor to detect a candidate parking space (S1010). The
candidate parking space may be detected using a spacing distance
between pieces of edge information extracted according to the
object. When the candidate parking space is not detected, a
candidate parking space is detected by continuously sensing an
object in a traveling direction of the vehicle. Once the candidate
parking space is detected, a speed of the vehicle is changed to a
preset first speed (S1020).
[0098] In the parking control method, it is monitored whether the
vehicle enters within a predetermined distance to the candidate
parking space while the vehicle is traveling (S1030). When the
vehicle enters within the predetermined distance to the candidate
parking space, the speed of the vehicle is changed to a preset
second speed and the second sensor is controlled to operate
(S1040). For example, the parking control method may control to
operate only the second sensor which detects the search
direction.
[0099] Then, in the parking control method, the parking space is
determined by determining whether the candidate parking space is
suitable for parking the vehicle using second sensing information
acquired from the second sensor (S1050). When an obstacle detected
by the second sensor exists in the candidate parking space or the
size of the candidate parking space is less than a size sufficient
for parking the vehicle, the candidate parking space is not
selected and a candidate parking space search is reset along the
direction of travel of the vehicle.
[0100] Therefore, when the parking space is determined, the parking
control method may set a parking path of the vehicle and control
the vehicle to be parked in the parking space.
[0101] According to the present disclosure described above, by
additionally using the information of the first sensor, it is
possible to reduce time for detecting the parking space and reduce
the gear shifting process in the parking path, thereby improving
the driver's ability to rely on the parking control system.
[0102] According to the above-described embodiments, the control
time and gear shifting process for controlling parking of a vehicle
are reduced, thereby improving the driver's stability and ability
to rely on the parking control apparatus.
[0103] The above embodiments of the present disclosure have been
described only for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the
art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be
made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the
disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure
are not intended to limit, but are intended to illustrate the
technical idea of the present disclosure, and the scope of the
technical idea of the present disclosure is not to be limited by
the embodiments. The scope of the present disclosure shall be
construed on the basis of the accompanying claims in such a manner
that all of the technical ideas included within the scope
equivalent to the claims belong to the present disclosure.
* * * * *